Who knew that a recipe for a hit in 2019 would include Kygo, Whitney Houston, and... Steve Winwood? Yep, that's happening.
How? Let's break it down. Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" hit #1 all the way back in 1986. Whitney Houston apparently liked it, and recorded a cover of the tune back in 1990. However, the cover was only ever released in Japan, so it wasn't widely heard.
Houston passed away in February of 2012, but her sister-in-law Pat Houston said that now was the time to "carry Whitney's musical legacy to a younger generation." Houston's estate contacted Kygo with the opportunity to remix her vocal track, and the result is is Whitney Houston's first posthumous hit. The song has already reached #6 on the UK singles chart and #7 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic chart.
My take? Winwood's words feel timely, the melody is still catchy, Houston's vocals are as impressive as ever, and Kygo somehow managed to make a vocal chop of a 29 year old recording (of a 35 year old song) work in 2019.
What do you think?
